'This car can...' Check out our new campaign
"If just half of New Zealand’s light vehicles were electric and plugged into [vehicle-to-grid], they would be able to push out the equivalent power of all of our nation’s power stations combined," says Queenstown Electrification Accelerator (QEA) lead Josh Ellison. That's the promise of V2G and the NZ Herald's Chris Keall has looked into the potential and pitfalls of the technology (paywalled).
The QEA and EECA are kicking off the country's biggest V2G trial in Queenstown and it will run for the next 18 months. The goal is to examine how consumers use the technology and iron out any technical issues so it can be rolled out smoothly nationwide. While cars that run appliances (often known as V2L) or charge other EVs is now common, V2G is not universal and there are lingering concerns among owners about voiding warranties, but manufacturers like BYD and new Chinese brand Zeekr are on board for the trial and are prooviding exemptions.
BYD General Manager Warren Wilmot says "it will include V2G as a standard, warranty-covered feature across all models by 2027".
As well as the savings from either avoiding high peak charges or the payments from exporting, there is also the added security. These big batteries could be crucial in the event of an emergency where the grid goes down.
As Ellison says: “Cars store a lot of energy. When that’s in a petrol tank, it’s not good for much else than driving ... With electric cars, you’re now getting a battery that can be used to power your home or your business. A new electric car has about three or four days of household energy in its battery.” And when you factor in solar, these batteries can keep being charged.
Find out more about the trial here.
New South Wales gets the memo about the importance of finance and announces scheme offering zero interest loans to households to upgrade to electric stuff; plug-in solar gets the tick of approval to go on sale in the UK soon and the New York Times says it could 'change America'; EVolocity takes electrification to the streets to gets the kids inspired (and eventually employed); a tour of the amazing recycling business Redwood Materials; Think Solar and BYD give it away now; and a skit that cuts close to the bone for many solar dads.
Read moreDownloadAdvances in technology and falling costs mean customer-owned solar and batteries can play a critical role in New Zealand’s energy infrastructure - improving affordability, resilience and sustainability. Multiple trading relationships (MTR) and peer-to-peer trading would enable this potential by increasing competition, customer choice, and innovation in the electricity market, unlocking greater consumer benefits from customer solar and batteries.
Read moreDownload
